We got off to a later start than we planned, so by the time we got up there everyone was hungry. We decided to eat before rather than after, and that may have been a mistake. Main Street Bethlehem stayed open from 6-9 (well, they cut the line off at 9:00-- everyone in line by that time will get to go through), and by the time we were done eating, it was already almost 8:00. So we parked, and then went to get in line. We found the line and started walking toward the end. And walking, and walking, and walking. The line extended all the way out of the church parking lot (it is held on the grounds of a Baptist church), down a whole block, then over and down another whole block, where we finally found the end. A very looooooong line. But I had been told the line moves fairly quickly, and we were already all the way up there, so we decided to stick it out.
We were there with 2 other adults and a total of 8 boys 9 and under between us. Lots of boys. :-) Joseph and Mosey in particular were not happy about standing in that long line, and the expected whining ensued. Some of the other boys decided to entertain themselves and got a little wild. OK, maybe very wild. :-) Joseph was particularly distressed by this. Ben finally started a game of 20 questions, which was a genius move, and kept all the boys distracted for the last half of the hour that we stood in line. But Mosey was still a pill, complaining incessantly that he wanted to go home. I was worried he would spoil the whole experience for himself.
I needn't have worried. The minute we walked through the "gates" of the city, Mosey, and all of the boys were enthralled. It really is an incredible place. The church built the place around 20 years ago. It really does look like what I can easily imagine Bethlehem might have looked like 2,000 years ago. The "city" is surrounded by a high wall. Just inside, there were tents sheltering people coming to the city to pay taxes. They were cooking over fires in front of the tents as we walked up the dusty dirt road. There were stone buildings housing candle-makers, basket weavers, cloth-makers, leather-workers, all complete with people dressed in costume, completely in character, actually making candles, weaving baskets, etc. There was an outdoor market with fruits and vegetables and grain, and geese and ducks in wooden cages. There were camels and sheep and donkeys. There was even a blacksmith shop with a blacksmith pounding red-hot iron on an anvil. There were people in character walking around the city-- shepherds telling of the good news of Christ's birth. A lame beggar asking for alms. A drunken man paying his taxes at the tax collector station. There were Roman guards patrolling the streets. There was a synagogue with a rabbi singing prayers and training his scribe.
Toward the end, we came to an inn, which was of course full. The inn-keeper came out and stopped to speak to Mosey. He said, "Yesterday a young man and woman came by looking for a place to stay. The woman looked as though she was about ready toa have a baby. My inn was full, but I told them they could stay in my stable out back where there is a manger. I've been very busy since then, and I haven't had a chance to go back there and see if they are there, or if the baby has been born yet. Will you go and see if they are there, and then come back and tell me?"
Mosey was utterly entranced. He looked up at that innkeeper, turned around when he pointed to the stable and the big star rising over it. We walked through a gate, approaching the "stable" which was actually a sort of cave in a hillside. Mosey ran quickly up ahead to look in the stable, and then ran back and said excitedly, "Mom, I looked in the stable, and Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus are there! I have to go back and tell the innkeeper!" And off he dashed back to find the innkeeper and tell him the good news. It was the sweetest thing I have seen in a long time.
The contrast between his whiny, complaining, rotten attitude before we got to "Bethlehem," and the awe-struck wonder once he got inside was just startling. It was so real to him. It was amazing to see what a change the Spirit caused in my little boy as he walked through the streets of Bethlehem. It was 100% worth the hour long wait in line, the shenanigans of 8 bored little boys, the hour and a half on the road, the whining and complaining, to see the look on Mosey's face as he looked into the stable to see if baby Jesus had been born yet.
This, this is what Christmas is about. This event made the nativity a reality for Mosey. From now on, every time he reads or hears of the account of our Savior's birth, he will have real memories of those noisy, dusty roads. He spoke to the innkeeper, saw the star in the sky, and was a personal witness of the Christchild, held in the arms of his mother Mary in that dirty, lowly stable. The moment of transformation that I saw in my boy is one every Christian should strive for in these busy, bustling, stressful weeks of Christmastime. Jesus Christ, our savior, was born. He was here. He is real. Do we feel it? Are we carried away by the wonder of it every December? I hope so. I definitely was on Friday night.
The icing on the cake was the cookies and hot chocolate they had waiting for everybody at the end. :-)
Needless to say, I was completely blown away. The people who put this on (it used to be only the Baptist church, but I believe several local churches now join forces) did a phenomenal job. All the "Jewish" men had even grown out their beards! We'll definitely go back every year, although we'll probably try to get there a little earlier next time to minimize the wait in line.
I kept thinking about the incredible missionary opportunity if our church put on something like this. The Baptist church gave out brochures telling about the story of "Bethlehem," and then going on to speak about Christ's birth, life, and ministry. At the end, there were signs directing people with questions to a nearby building where church representatives would be waiting to talk to them. Our ward building has a very large field adjacent to the parking lot, which is used for nothing right now. It's the perfect place for a Bethlehem! I'm not sure we could, or should, try to compete with the Burnet Bethlehem, but there are many other places in the country where something like this would be possible and such an amazing opportunity for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints-- not just for missionary work, but for all the members who would be involved every year in putting it on. But here in Texas, anyway, we've just found our newest Christmas tradition.
3 comments:
This brought tears to my eyes to read this -- what a wonderful experience! Such a gift of love and devotion for this church to give year after year. I want to come next year!
This brought tears to my eyes also. You are VERY correct - this is the true story and spirit of Christmas. What wonderful parents you are! We all need Bethelem in our lives. Thanks so much for sharing this touching experience.
We went to a drive through Nativity at a Baptist Church here set up very similarly. I was very impressed--everyone was totally committed to their characters. Obviously because of our weather, staying in the car is a very attractive option for us here. The church that does it bills it as a community service, which it is. They do not overtly proselyte, but with the gift they give at the end (cookies, hot chocolate, and a book), they include information about their meeting times. I can see how someone looking for a church would be very likely to attend. I know an LDS ward in PA does this, too.
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